Salve Regina Starts Fast, Coasts by Johnson & Wales

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Salve Regina sprinted out to a 7-1 lead over Johnson & Wales (R.I.) in the first quarter and never looked back as the Seahawks defeated the Wildcats, 19-4, on a snowy Wednesday afternoon. The win for Salve Regina improves the Seahawks to 3-0 on the young season while JWU slips to 0-2 on the year.

Leading the potent attack for Salve Regina was sophomore Sharp Jones (Scituate, Mass.) with a career-best four goals, doubling his total on the season.

Sophomore Cam Brazill (Ridgewood, N.J.) kicked off the scoring for Salve Regina with his first of the year, an unassisted shot just three minutes into action before the Seahawks rattled off four more goals over the next 5:13 to take a 5-0 lead and force a JWU time out. The scoring spree was highlighted by a pair of goals from senior Curtis McKeon (West Haven, Conn.) that were sandwiched around Jones' first of the game and junior Steven Russell's (Bayport, N.Y.) second of the season. Freshman Nick LoCicero (Lynbrook, N.Y.) continued his point streak, handing out an assist on Jones and Russell's goals.

Following JWU's timeout, Jones tacked on his second tally of the game at 6:21, this time unassisted after McKeon won the ensuing faceoff and senior Dan Parks (Nesconset, N.Y.) scooped up the loose ground ball for a Seahawk possession. Johnson & Wales got one back as senior Keegan Donaher (Chelmsford, Mass.) picked up the ground ball off a Seahawk turnover and went low to beat the Salve Regina freshman goalie Andrew Watkins (Natick, Mass.). Salve Regina immediately responded as McKeon won the next face off and Parks gained control of the ball to put it in the back of the net for his sixth of the season. SRU led 7-1 with 3:41 to play in the opening quarter.

After killing off an extra man opportunity in the final 2:25 of the quarter, goalie senior Mike Russo (Chelmsford, Mass.) made three saves to close out the opening frame and keep the Seahawks within in six at 7-1.

The Seahawks outscored the Wildcats 5-0 in the second quarter as sophomore James Fee (Massapequa, N.Y.), freshman Eric Backus (Mansfield, Mass.) and senior Chad Hollenshade (Lutherville, Md.) all joined the scoring action with their first goals of the game. Jones completed his first career hat trick 4:16 into the quarter off a pass from Hollenshade to push the Seahawk lead to 9-1 before Brazill scored his second of the game with 6:25 to play to give Salve Regina a 10-1 lead. Backus and Hollenshade scored the final two goals of the quarter to give Salve Regina a 12-1 lead as the two teams went into halftime.

Backus and McKeon went back-to-back with goals within 19 seconds of each other to extend the Salve Regina lead to 14-1 1:12 into the third quarter. Sophomore Conner Timpson (Narragansett, R.I.) caused a turnover in the Wildcats' restraining box and picked up the ground ball to give the possession back to Salve Regina with just over 10 minutes to play in the third. Jones tacked on his fourth and final goal of the game in that possession to push the lead to 15-1 in favor of SRU.

Freshman David Mavilia (Scituate, Mass.) picked up another ground ball for Salve Regina off a Wildcat turnover and started a clear for the Seahawks. After a successful clear, freshman Brendan McGrath (New Mildford, Conn.) fed the ball to sophomore Alex King (Andover, Mass.) for his first goal of the game and third of the season. Salve Regina led 16-1 with 5:09 left in the third quarter.

Nine seconds into their extra man opportunity, Johnson & Wales found the back of the net for just the second time in the game as sophomore Chris Macchi (Hastings-On-Hudson, N.Y.) took a pass from Donaher to score with three minutes left in the third.